December Nearly Melted Record

December came within one-tenth of a degree of being the warmest on record, surpassed only by December 1982, which had an average temperature of 38.5.

Daily high temperature records were set on Dec. 18 and 30 and the high of 72 on Dec. 29 was the highest temperature ever recorded in December in Allentown, surpassing 70 degrees set Dec. 10, 1946.

According to the National Weather Service at Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Airport, the average temperature for last month was 38.4 degrees, or 6.9 degrees above normal. The lowest temperature was 20 on Dec. 24.

Heating degree days for the month totaled 820, or 219 below normal. Total for the season was 1,229, or 390 below normal. Cooling degree days totaled 885 for the season, or 134 above normal, with none recorded in December.

Precipitation for December was 0.66 of an inch below normal as 3.07 inches of rain fell. The most recorded in 24 hours was 0.88 of an inch on Dec. 21 and 22.

Total snowfall for the month was 5.7 inches, with four inches on Dec. 27.

There were five days with clear skies, five with party cloudy and 21 with cloudy skies.

There were 12 days with 0.01 of an inch or more of precipitation, eight with 0.1 of an inch or more and two with 0.5 of an inch or more.

January temperatures have a 70 percent chance of being above the normal of 27.2 degrees. Precipitation has a 50 percent chance of being about the normal 3.35 inches.

For the 90-day period through March, there is a 65 percent chance of temperatures being above normal, with a 55 percent chance of precipitation being above normal.